In this chapter, you'll learn all of the wine-making terms that you'll need to know in order to select the correct wine for you. This chapter covers the basic kinds of wine and the basic characteristics of each.

This chapter is from the book

Understand the differences in
production, terms, and best uses
with foods between dry red and
white wines

Discover how Chardonnays become
buttery, why Beaujolais Nouveau
is grapey and yeasty, and how
sparkling wines and Champagne
are made

Learn about producing pink wine,
including rosé,
blush, or blanc de noir

Appreciate
the versatility of fortified wines,
including Porto, Sherry, Madeira,
Vermouth, and Marsala

Understand each of the eight methods
used to produce sweet dessert
wines

Find
what a bottle’s
shape and color may tell you about
the wine it holds

The
winemaker
has
many
options
once
he or
she
decides
what
type
of wine
to produce.
The
decisions
made
in the
winery
will
determine
how
dry
or sweet,
fruity,
aromatic,
complex,
concentrated,
oaky,
and
high
in alcohol
and
body
the
finished
wine
will
be.

As
you
learned
in Chapter
2, "How
Grapes
and
Vineyards
Determine
Taste,
Style,
Value,
and
Food
Affinities," the
key
to a
wine’s
taste
and
style
will
depend
on the
grape
variety
or blend
of grapes
used,
where
the
grapes
were
grown,
and
the
quality
of the
harvest
each
vintage
year.
However,
a wine’s type or
category,
such
as dry
red
or sparkling
wine,
is determined
by the
winemaking
techniques
used
to produce
it.

The
six
basic
types
of wine
are
dry
red,
dry
white,
rosé or
blanc
de noir,
sparkling,
fortified,
and
dessert
wines.
In this
chapter,
you
learn
how
these
six
basic
types
of wine
are
made
and,
as a
result,
what
to expect
in the
taste
of each.
Along
the
way,
I will
dispel
some
of the
wine
misinformation
that
may
have
been
handed
down
to you
by well-meaning
friends.
For
example,
there
may
be some
truth
to the
tale
that
wine
may
act
as an
aphrodisiac—but
too
much
of a
good
thing
will
certainly
defeat
that
purpose!

To
do
list

Study
the role and origin of yeasts,
grape sugar, and sulfites in the
fermentation of wine

Understand
the definitions and difference
between free run and press wines,
brandy, and liqueurs

Winemaking Basics

Wine is defined as the alcohol beverage obtained from the
fermentation of freshly harvested grapes. The basic process of
winemaking has remained unchanged—yeasts that grow on all grape
skins automatically ferment grape juice into wine when the grapes are crushed.
We call this mixture of grape skins immersed in their juice the must,
and we call the period they are in contact maceration. Skin contact or
maceration is particularly important for the production of red wines, because
the juice inside all grapes is clear. The deep color of red wines must be
extracted from the black grape skins.

During the alcohol fermentation,natural fruit sugar in the
grapes is converted into equal parts of alcohol and carbon dioxide by the
yeasts. Heat is released in the process, which is why most delicate white wines
are fermented in stainless steel temperature-controlled fermenters—so they
don’t "cook."

The level of alcohol produced during fermentation depends on the ripeness or
sugar content of the grapes and when the yeast or winemaker stops fermentation.
Table wines (suitable for drinking at the table with meals), by
definition, receive their alcohol from fermentation only. They have 7% alcohol
by volume (such as some German wines or Italian Lambrusco) to 15% alcohol by
volume (such as some California Zinfandels). This is the upper limit for
fermentation because the yeasts die when they produce this level of alcohol.
Most dry wines average 11% to 12% alcohol, but many full-bodied dry red or white
wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah and Chardonnay, typically have 13%
to 14% alcohol content.

Yeasts are what give grapes their dusty look, called the bloom,
which consists of the wine yeasts (best for fermenting wine), and wild
yeasts (which are hard to control and may produce unpleasant odors and
flavors). Commercial yeasts, cultured and freeze-dried from famous wine areas
such as Montrachet in Burgundy, France, are added to begin fermentation in
modern wineries. In addition, grape skins contain Acetobacter or
"vinegar bacteria" (discussed in the following section).

Sulfites in Wine

Unfortunately, the vinegar bacteria on grape skins will immediately spoil the
new wine once it is exposed to the air, and wild yeasts must also be eliminated
before they can ruin the aroma or taste of the wine. Modern winemakers follow a
centuries-old tradition of using sulfur dioxide and other
sulfites to kill the wild yeasts and vinegar bacteria and inhibit the
growth of other molds or bacteria in the finished wine. Sulfites also stop
oxidation (browning) of the wine and preserve the wine’s flavor
during aging and distribution. Without some added sulfur dioxide, we’d
have a lot more spoiled bottles of wine on the market.

The amount of sulfur dioxide added is very small—usually no more than
60–125 parts per million for fine cork-finished dry red and white
wines—and strictly regulated by our federal government. Even if no sulfur
dioxide is added to a wine, fermenting yeasts will automatically produce it from
the inorganic sulfates in all grape juices; so virtually all wines sold in the
U.S. are labeled "Contains Sulfites."

NOTE

People who are asthmatic or sensitive find that sulfites can restrict their
nasal passages and breathing. Sulfites do not cause headaches.

Free Run Wine, Press Wine, Brandy, and Liqueurs

Making wine begins with the grapes, which are usually planted in areas where
other crops wouldn’t grow. Grapes like to struggle in poor soils, which
force them to grow deep roots and conserve their energy by producing just a few
bunches of high quality grapes. In fact, it is said that, in Bordeaux, God
created grapes and roses because they are the only two things that can grow on
such stony, unfertile ground. A rose bush is planted at the end of each row of
grapevines in Bordeaux because the same conditions allow both to prosper.

Véraison("vair-ay-zon") is the part of the
ripening period when grapes change color, especially black or red grapes. All
grapes start out as unripe, hard, dark green berries. It isn’t until they
ripen in the sun that white varieties will turn golden and red varieties will
turn deep purple. Winemakers decide when to pick the grapes based on the
ripeness or natural sugar content, which is measured right in the vineyards.
What most wine books don’t tell you is that the leaves of the grapevines
also change color. At harvest time, the leaves of white grape varieties turn
yellow and the leaves of red grape varieties turn red. This is how you can tell
what is growing in any vineyard late in the season.

The finest wines are made from the first pressing of juice from the grapes
called the free run wine, while less expensive wines are made from
second or third pressings called the press wine. Press wine is harsher
and accounts for the difference in smoothness between fine and inexpensive
wines, although some fine red wines may have a small amount of press wine added
for extra color, body, and structure. What is left over after all the juice has
been pressed from the grapes is pomace (a dry mass of skins),
pips (grape seeds), and yeast that can be used as a fertilizer for the
soil of the vineyards.

Brandy by definition is distilled wine. It can be made anywhere
grapes are grown. In Italy, grape brandy is called grappa. The finest
examples are made in fine wine areas such as Barolo in the Piedmont or Tuscany.
In France, there are three types of brandy, and Cognac is the most
prestigious and costly of these. Cognac is made north of Bordeaux from white
Ugni Blanc (French Colombard) grapes grown in the chalky soil of the finest
vineyards or sandier soils. The dry white base wine made from these grapes is
distilled in copper pot stills and then aged in oak barrels for many years,
creating "libraries" of old Cognacs. The second type of French brandy is
the darker, grapier Armagnac made south of Bordeaux and aged in black
oak barrels. The third type of French brandy, called Marc, can be made
in other wine areas, such as Bourgogne or Burgundy.

Brandy is also called an eau de vie, meaning "water of
life," and can be the dry distilled spirit of any fruit. Kirschwasser, an
eau de vie made from cherries, is used when making fondue. Liqueurs are
always sweet, flavored spirits. Many liqueurs are based on brandy, or other
spirits, that are then flavored with herbs, fruits such as raspberries, coffee
beans, or orange peels—and then sweetened. They are not dry like brandy or
eau de vie.